Ennore Thermal Power Station
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Ennore Thermal Power Station is a power station in Ernavur, Ambathur, Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, India with multiple units of varying statuses, none of which are currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Ennore Thermal Power Station | Ernavur, Ambathur, Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, India | 13.2016, 80.3112 (exact) |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 7 (replacement): 13.2016, 80.3112
- Unit 6 (expansion): 13.1980211, 80.3104341
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Retired | coal: bituminous | 60 | subcritical | 1970 | 2017 |
| Unit 2 | Retired | coal: bituminous | 60 | subcritical | 1971 | 2017 |
| Unit 3 | Retired | coal: bituminous | 110 | subcritical | 1972 | 2017 |
| Unit 4 | Retired | coal: bituminous | 110 | subcritical | 1973 | 2017 |
| Unit 5 | Retired | coal: bituminous | 110 | subcritical | 1975 | 2017 |
| Unit 6 (expansion) | Construction | coal: unknown | 660 | supercritical | – | – |
| Unit 7 (replacement) | Cancelled | coal: unknown | 660 | supercritical | – | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Co Ltd [100%] | TNEB Ltd |
| Unit 2 | Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Co Ltd [100%] | TNEB Ltd |
| Unit 3 | Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Co Ltd [100%] | TNEB Ltd |
| Unit 4 | Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Co Ltd [100%] | TNEB Ltd |
| Unit 5 | Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Co Ltd [100%] | TNEB Ltd |
| Unit 6 (expansion) | Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Co Ltd [100%] | TNEB Ltd |
| Unit 7 (replacement) | Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Co Ltd [100%] | TNEB Ltd |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): domestic
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
The original power station was established in 1970-75 in an area of about 237 acres. It had an installed capacity of 450 MW (3x110 MW + 2x60 MW) when commissioned.[1]
The power station was shut down permanently on March 31, 2017, and was expected to be replaced with a proposed 660 MW replacement unit.[2]
Expansion unit (660 MW)
TANGEDCO planned to call for tenders for the construction of a 660 MW coal-fired unit (previously 600 MW) in February 2012 with construction scheduled to begin in mid-2012 and commissioning in December 2015.[3][4]
In January 2012, it was announced that Chief Minster Jayalalithaa approved the building of the 600 MW coal-fired unit and that it was projected to be commissioned by late 2015. It was reported that the new unit would not require the acquisition of additional land.[3]
The Energy Department's Policy note 2014-15 included the Ennore expansion (Unit 6). The project cost was Rs 5,000 crore. The construction contract was awarded to Lanco Infratech.[5]
Construction
As of April 2015, the power station was listed as under construction by the India government.[6] It was planned for operation in 2018.[7][8]
Delays & new contract
In March 2018, TNEB cancelled the contract given to Lanco for setting up the unit, saying the project was stuck because of Lanco’s financial problems. Lanco’s insolvency case was pending with the National Company Law Tribunal. The project was to be commissioned in January 2018, but as of March 2018, it was less than 20% complete. According to TNEB, once a new contractor would be identified through a re-tender, it would take three more years for the project to be completed.[9]
According to the India Ministry of Power in April 2019, "Corporate Insolvency & Bankruptcy Process (CIRP) [have been] initiated against Lanco (the EPC Contractor) by IDBI Bank from 07.08.2017 and interim resolution professional appointed on 10.08.2017 and hence the project has been stalled from 07.08.2017." No date was offered for completion.[10]
The unit again received environmental clearance on December 11, 2019.[11] It was also announced that month that following the cancellation of the project tender with Lanco, the engineering, procurement and construction contract was awarded to BGR Energy Systems which said that the overall completion period would be 36 months starting from the date of the contract.[12]
2021: Permit put in abeyance
In September 2021, the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) put in abeyance the Environment Clearance (EC) granted to the 660 MW Ennore Thermal Power Station expansion project for a period of six months, and directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) to conduct a public hearing for the project. Construction was allowed to proceed, but the bench said Tangedco should not commence operations without completion of the process of incorporating additional conditions, if any, made by the MoEF. The NGT directed the Ministry to conduct the public hearing within a period of two months, and after getting the public opinion on the project, direct the Tandegco to conduct further studies, if required. Following this, an additional Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report would have to be submitted to the Expert Appraisal Committee of the MoEFF.[13]
2022: New public hearing and work begins
The public hearing for the project was postponed twice following strong protest by the public and various organizations including Chennai Climate Action Group. However, the NGT Southern Zone refused to reschedule the public hearing despite public health concerns during the pandemic.[14][15]
In August 2022, forward progress was reported on the expansion unit. Following testing, the contractor BGR Energy Systems (BGRESL) was slated to begin the work that had been delayed for five years.[16]
Broad Status reports from 2022 summarized the following: "As per Board decision to revive the project, LOI issued to M/s BGRESL. M/s BGRESL has taken over the project site from 'as is where is basis condition' on 23.06.2022."[17]
2023: Construction on hold
The May 2023 Broad Status report listed the Ennore expansion project as being on hold, while the construction contractor BGR was reportedly "in the process of finalization of drawings / documents."[18] The November 2023 Broad Status report continued to list the project on hold.[19]
In September 2024, the Broad Status report indicated that the expansion project was still on hold, but the existing Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract had been terminated in February 2024 following the lack of progress. TANGEDCO was reportedly planning to commission a feasibility report for building the expansion under a public-private partnership (PPP).[20] As of May 2025, a draft feasibility report was under review.[21]
Replacement unit (660 MW)
In addition to the expansion unit, TANGEDCO has proposed replacing the existing 450 MW (nameplate) coal plant with a new 660 MW unit (Unit 7). The company received a terms of reference for the project on July 24, 2014, and submitted an EIA in July 2017.[1]
The plant is opposed by the residents who fear that the new plant will degrade the air quality and lead to a loss of fishing livelihoods.[22]
As of January 2020, there had been no further developments, and the project appeared to be deferred or abandoned.
Coal supply
Expansion unit
Coal for the project was planned to be sourced in part from the Mandakini B coal mine in Orissa which was earmarked to be shared equally between the Odisha State Mining Corporation, the Meghalaya Mineral Development Corporation, the Assam Mineral Development Corporation and TANGEDCO. The use of imported coal to blend with coal from Orissa was also foreshadowed.[3]
Replacement unit
In the 2017 EIA, it was reported the new unit would use domestic coal from the Chandrabila coal block, Odisha.[1]
Financing
In 2015, the state-owned Rural Electrification Corporation agreed to provide loan financing for the project of US$890 million.[23] This financing was linked to the first contract for the construction works with Lanco, which was cancelled.
In 2018, it was reported that the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) provided financing for the expansion project.[9] TANGEDCO also states that PFC is funding the expansion project. The total estimated cost as of January 2019 was Rs 63.8 billion (approximately US$910 million).[24]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "EIA," TANGEDCO, July 2017
- ↑ "Executive Summary for the proposed Ennore Thermal Power Station (ETPS)" (PDF). Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd.,. January 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 T. Ramakrishnan, "Nod for project to replace Ennore power station," The Hindu, January 2, 2012
- ↑ "Additional Information file," MoEF, January 24, 2013
- ↑ "TN Generation and Distribution Corp plans to add over 5700 MW before 2020," Business Standard, July 22, 2014
- ↑ "Broad Status Report," India Central Electrical Authority, April 2015
- ↑ "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," Government of India Ministry of Power, March 2016
- ↑ "Broad Status Report," India Central Electrical Authority, March 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Lanco finance crisis leaves project undone, TN in fix," TNN, March 27, 2018
- ↑ "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," Government of India Ministry of Power, April 2019
- ↑ "Environmental clearance," India MoEF, December 11, 2019
- ↑ "BGR Energy wins $630m contract for Ennore power station expansion," NS Energy, December 2019
- ↑ "NGT suspends clearance for Ennore power plant extension," The Hindu, September 22, 2021
- ↑ "Ennore Thermal Power Plant Project: 'Can't Stop Authorities From Exercising Statutory Powers'; NGT Southern Zone Refuses To Reschedule Public Hearing," Live Law, January 6, 2022
- ↑ "Power plant expansion: Activists urge govt to postpone public hearing," DT Next, January 3, 2022
- ↑ "BGRESL to commence work on Ennore thermal power station project," Construction World, August 23, 2022
- ↑ “Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects,” India Central Electricity Authority, November 2022
- ↑ “Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects,” India Central Electricity Authority, May 2023
- ↑ "Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects" (PDF). Central Electricity Authority. November 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ “Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects (September, 2024),” Central Electricity Authority, India Ministry of Power, September 2024
- ↑ “Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects (May 2025),” Central Electricity Authority, India Ministry of Power, May 2025
- ↑ "Ennore residents oppose power plant". The Hindu. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ↑ "Ennore Coal-fired Power Plant," IJGlobal, June 2015,
- ↑ "ENNORE THERMAL POWER STATION EXPANSION PROJECT," TANGEDCO, January 31, 2019
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
